People who honestly believe God is real actively try to resist behaving in such a manipulative and deceptive fashion. These types of things are typically the actions of people who outright deny the existence of God and instead imagine themselves as some kind of pinnacle of humanity.

You say, “Thought control truly represents the dark side of social influence…” well you are right about that. People who really believe that God exists are not interested in controlling people; they’re not interested in gaining power over others; and they’re not obsessed with money.